Are 4.9 score is based from original? We know the original one is racist althought we know as one of the greatest silent film. But compare the new one with the old is very childish I think, because this new is not racist, but based on the original one, not like old version. I wonder if this movie have won or nominated by academy, it will be one of the lowest rating on IMDb who nominated for best picture. And we know who will blame for this. I mean "come on, people! It is just based on" sorry if I'm wrong!
I have not seen this film so cannot comment on it's own merit, but I have heard it's not that good.
The directer Nate Parker had been accused of rape a while back. He has been tried and found not guilty. I know nothing of the case except the woman killed herself about a decade later. People are probably giving this film low ratings solely based on that. If this is the case, it annoys me in two ways: first, people are ignoring the not guilty verdict and second, people are judging the film based on an accusation against the director of something that may or may not have happened rather than on it's own merits or flaws.
It may be a people not liking it made worse by people who are dismissing film over an accusation that has not been proved.
I'm sorry if this isn't a definitive answer but I hope it at least gives you an idea of why this film has a low score.
I've learned long ago not to completely trust the ratings here. People prejudge movies for their own personal reasons and want others to rate it as they would. Maybe people are just tired of the topic or maybe the movie isn't that good. What has it done in the box office ($$)?
This film capitalized modern bad fame of racist original. Also. if you think: its so offensive to white, like original - to black. Its something that normal people want give a high rating? I dont think so.
Are 4.9 score is based from original? We know the original one is racist althought we know as one of the greatest silent film. But compare the new one with the old is very childish I think, because this new is not racist, but based on the original one, not like old version. I wonder if this movie have won or nominated by academy, it will be one of the lowest rating on IMDb who nominated for best picture. And we know who will blame for this. I mean "come on, people! It is just based on" sorry if I'm wrong!
Currently the IMDB rating is 5.8, unless I am reading In-Correctly.
I have many things to say abut this.
To begin, please everybody start using "Anti-Black", "Blackphobic", and "Afrophobic" instead of "Racist" because the word Racist is now being used by White People now playing The Race Card. It is because the word Racist is a general term, and I assume that otherwise people are talking about general racism, not a specific racism.
There are many people who agree with you that The Old One is a great film, and they are very angry that "The Villains" have rebooted, remade, and retold the film. Fans of The Old One insist on keeping Birth Of A Nation as it was.
The New Birth Of A Nation is never ever going to win any Academy Awards and perhaps no awards at all because there are rival producers and rival directors and other rival executives who do not like their sacred film being retold.
Other reasons is that Birth Of A Nation is getting constant bad publicity, bad press, and cinemas have not sold the tickets to Birth Of A Nation despite people wanting to see it.
Nate Parker has had his past dug up for all the world to see, just like Bill Cosby and perhaps Michael Jackson. But ever notice that they will not dig dirt for the White Filmmakers nor actors?
And finally, most White People (and some other people as well, even some Black People) do not see Black People as equal, and will certainly not accept a Black Person to be much more successful than any White People. Even though they say "I am not racist. [Anti-Black]" Some people who claim to not be Anti-Black will actually be the ones who sneak on The Internet and give a Black-Empowered film called The Birth Of A Nation bad ratings and bad reviews. And such people also believe "This is happening in 2016? Didn't [Anti-Black] go away when DRMLKJR was killed?* I thought [Anti-Black] went away a long time ago and I thought it was never that bad! Is this the Skeletons in our nations closet?! ... I don't believe it and I never will."
( * = How did Anti-Black go away if DRMLKJR was killed?! )
And that is why I think The Birth Of A Nation is getting bad ratings, bad reviews, bad publicity, bad etc.
The low ratings here are a "whitelash" from alt-right white-supremacists, the same kind of people who voted for an unqualified rapist white-supremacist president.
Even if you discarded all those who gave either a "1" or "10" rating and counted only those in between, the movie rating would still be under 6. And the box office is a clear indicator that the movie is not very good.
About 45% rated 8 or above. However, 23.2% gave a rating of 1. I suspect many of those 1s are votes against Nate Parker rather than against the movie. Personally, I thought the movie was powerful and deserves at least an 8.